Labeling machine attachment



3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F. J. SCHULZ LABELING MACHINE ATTACHMENT May 24, 1949.

Filed Feb. 27, 1945 ll II M y 1949. F. J. sHuLz 2,471,288

v LABELING MACHINE ATTACHMENT Filed Feb. 27, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 7 INVENTOR.

file e120? Jim? Jain/z I HTTOP/VEY Patented May 24, 1949 LABELING MACHINE ATTACHMENT Frederick Jacob Schulz, Rensselaer, N. 1., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Winthrop- Stearns Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application February 27, 1945, Serial No. 580,043

The present invention relates to a mechanism for automatically feeding medicament or drug ampules or containers of cylindrical shape to a labelling or other machine. More particularly, the invention comprises an attachment to a labelling machine in which a gum label is attached to a cartridge-shaped ampule, hereinafter termed a cartridge for brevity and convenience and as so employed meaning any cylindrical or cylindrical type container adapted or intended to provide a charge of liquid for a hypodermic syringe or for any other use.

In the preparation of such cartridges for marketing, it is necessary to apply a label giving the necessary or desired information concerning and/or the directions for using the contents. In one widely used form these cartridges are, as will be observed from Fig. 4 of the drawings to be referred to hereinafter, small cylindrical glass tubes in each end of which is a rubber stopper or plug. One such stopper has an annular projecting flange. The diameter of this flange is somewhat greater than the diameter of the body of the cartridge. Due to this peculiarity of construction, there is a much greater frictional resistance at one end of the cartridge than at the other and this causes considerable difficulty in feeding or mechanically handling the cartridges. Due to the fragile nature of the cartridges and the value of their contents it is important not to damage or break any considerable number of them during handling. While machines have been proposed for feeding such cartridges to labelling machines, they have been subject to serious disadvantages which have largely prevented their use. As a result, the cartridges have been labelled by hand, and this ties up the services of workers who could be more advantageously used for other duties. cartridge feeder has therefore been greatly desired.

One of the objects of the present invention is to make it possible to feed medicament cartridges mechanically and automatically to a labelling or other machine in an even. regular manner.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of means through which such cartridges can be labelled automatically at a high rate 'of speed without damage to the cartridges.

A further object of the invention is to provide a feeding mechanism as an attachment to a more or less standard type of labelling machine which. when provided with the new attachment. becomes capable of labelling cartridges entirely mechanically.

The devising of a satisfactory automatic.

5 Claims. (Cl. 312-) Other and further objects and advantages will be understood by those skilled in this art or will be apparent or pointed out hereinafter.

Having reference to the accompanying draw T ings forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of the present invention and contiguous parts of the associated labelling machine;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 giving an internal view of the runways or throats and showing in detail the reciprocating mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1 illustrating the throats at the bottom of the machine;

Fig. 4 is a section through a throat showing one of the cartridges therein, taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1

illustrating the construction of one of the slides on the hopper bottom; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale of the lower portion of the machine showing in detail the spring mechanism near the convergence of the throats.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the various views of the drawings.

The embodiment selected to illustrate my invention is shown generally in Fig. 1. A hopper H] of relatively large capacity is provided for receiving and holding cartridges or the like (see.

Fig. 4) to be fed into an associated machine, in this instance a labelling machine. The bottom of hopper I0 branches in the shape of an inverted V into two throats or runways ll through which the cartridges or the like descend laterally. In each branch of the divided hopper l 0 is a movable slide I2 which is attached to a cable or chain l3 which passes over pulley Ida and down to pulley l5. returning over a second pulley Nb and being attached to the other slide I 2 in the other branch of the hopper l0. Pulleys Ila and llb are mounted on a bar attached across the rear of the hopper as best shown in Fig. 2. Pulley I5 is mounted in a bracket l5a which is attached to and moves up and down with unit I8, which. in turn, is reciprocally actuated by an arm I! attached to the labelling machine. The length of the path of pulley I6 is controlled by the adjustment of the lock nuts Ill. The slides I2 are pulled upward by the cables It as pulley III and unit I6 move downwardly under the actuation of the arm I'I. When the arm I! moves upward, releasing unit I8, the spiral springs I9 contract from their extended condition and pull the slides I2 downward to their former (lowermost) positions and pull the pulley I and unit I6 upward. Springs I9 are anchored at one end at'pin I9 and at the other end to lug I9" on the underside of slides I2. The up and down motion of the slides I2 causes the cartridges 20 to enter the throats I I one at a time in a regular, even manner in lateral position without interruption.

The construction of slides I2 is illustrated in greater detail in Fig. 5 from which it will be further observed that the bottom of hopper I0 is provided with U-shaped edge flanges 21 into which slide I2 flts in freely slidable relationship. Attached to each slide I2 is a knob or the like 28 by means of which cable I3 is secured thereto.

The actuating force for unit I6 is supplied through the arm H which is coupled to the moving unit 24 of the machine upon which the feeding apparatus is attached. The distal end of arm I'I projects into the central windowor opening of the quadrangular casting |6a of unit I6. In the present invention, the unit 24 is a reciprocablc part of a labelling machine but this is to be understood as exemplary only and not as limitative since any available or known arrangement may be employed for reciprocating the unit I6 to the desired extent and in the desired direction and either independently or from an associated machine or part thereof.

Lock nuts I8 disposed on threaded guide rods I8 limit the upward motion of lugs I'6' of unit I6 through'which the guide rods extend, thus controlling the length of the stroke of the slides I2. Springs I8" are disposed, as shown, between nuts I8 and lugs I6. The lower portions of guide rods I8 extend through the apertured lugs I6" of unit I6 and are secured to the stationary anchor plate I8"' which is attached to the associated labelling machine or to any other suitable stationary mounting. Further or alternative adjustments may be made by shortening or lengthening the cables or chains I3. The shorter each cable, the sooner will arm I'I engage the reciprocating unit I6 and the longer will be the stroke of the slides I2. The stroke of the slides I2 is adjustable so that no breakage of glass cartridges 20 occurs in the hopper II] or throats I I. If one slide I2 should and secured at 2| and its flexible ends project through the windows in throats II and thus contact the cartridges 20 near the ends havin the exposed rubber surfaces, applying gentle force thereto. This causes the cartridges to move regularly toward the discharge ends of the throats II. The spring 2| is attached to unit 24- by an arm 24', as shown in Fig. 2. The spring 2| is fastened to arm 24' at an oblique angle in order that the spring will flex readily when it strikes the cartridges 20 and hence exert only the desired gentle straightening and propelling force to the glass cartridges thus avoiding damage and breakage.

The sticking or jamming of cartridges, particularly in the throats II, may also be eliminated by the addition of metal rails 23 on the bearing surfaces of the throats II, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. These metal strips or rails 23 prevent the rubber portions of the cartridges from bearing on the throats II and in this way the frictional resistance due to a rubber-to-metal contact is eliminated.

happen to become jammed or its movement reand metal on the other end. The inequality in friction is often great enough to interfere with level (horizontal) descent of the cartridges and to cause jamming in the throats II. This effect may be eliminated by the very thin, flexible steel spring 2| made of clock spring steel, shown in detail in Fig. 6. The spring 2| is centrally mounted Throughout the throats II and in the sides of hopper I0 may be placed at intervals other windows or openings 26 similar to 25. These allow the operator or attendant to observe the movement of the cartridges 20. Actually, the throats II may be of open frame construction.

At the lower ends of throats I I, the metal sheets forming the tops of the throats or runways I I are extended out over the V-shaped upper ends of the blocks 22 of the labelling or other machine upon which the above-described feeder mechanism operates. The sheet extensions 30 curve slightly downwardly, as shown by Fig. 1, and prevent cartridges 20 from spilling out of the throats II. At the ends of the throats II, the cartridges 2!! are discharged uniformly into the V-blocks 22, in the same manner as by other feeding devices or manual feeding. The spring 2| assures the alignment of the cartridges 26 parallel to the V-blocks 22 in which they are to be received. When a cartridge or tube is placed in the V-blocks 22, others above it in the throats II are held in place by the extensions 3|]. Sufficient space is left between the extensions 30 and the V-blocks 22 to accommodate the ejector 3| of the labelling or other machine to which the feeder is attached, as shown in Fig. 6. Ejector 3| is provided with irregular enlarged ends shaped to slide in tho V-shaped upper ends of blocks 22, thus pushing or ejecting the cartridges successively into a holder in which the labels are attached and/or to a chute 32 or to any other desired part of an associated machine for further handling or treatment.

The foregoing is intended as illustrative and exemplary only and within the terms of the appended claims various additions, omissions, modifications and substitutions may be made without departing from the scope or principles hereof.

I claim:

1. A device for feeding cartridges to an associated machine for further handling which comprises a hopper of relatively large capacity, the

, mechanisms forming a part of said hopper bottom for guiding a single row of cartridges into each of the said throats, a flexible spring blade mounted between said throats intermediate the tops and bottoms thereof and means for actuating said spring blade to contact said cartridges in said throats through windows provided therein to maintain the cartridges in horizontally aligned positions.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which the hopper bottom is provided with U-shaped edge flanges within which the slide mechanisms can slide freely.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which the flexible spring blade is composed of clock spring steel and is mounted in an oblique position with respect to the vertical plane of the device.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which each throat is provided with a curved extension at its lower end and a pair of rails along which the cartridges are adapted to move without coming into contact with the underlying throat surface.

5. A labelling machine attachment comprising a hopper with an inverted V-shaped bottom, a pair of slides constituting a part of the hopper bottom, 2 a plurality of throats depending from and com- 6 municating with said hopper, a spring blade mounted between said throats and projecting into said throats through windows provided therein and a unit for reciprocating said slides, said unit and said spring blade being synchronously actuatable by a part of the labelling machine.

FREDERICK JACOB SCHULZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

